ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson volleyball team celebrated Senior Day with a 3-1 (25-13, 17-25, 25-19, 25-19) win over South Atlantic Conference opponent Queens, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic enter.
Anderson (19-11, 15-7 SAC), clinched the fifth seed in next week's conference tournament with its sixth straight victory and 10th win in its last 12 contests, while earning a split in the season series with the Royals. Queens fell to 19-8 overall and 16-6 in the conference with its third straight loss.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Marissa Mitter led all players with 17 kills and added 11 digs for her 19th double-double of the season. Rachel Burts and freshman Kathryn Hughes added
10 kills and seven kills, respectively. Mitter and Burts combined for 27 kills with just three errors in 60 attempts on the day. Freshman Emily Conlin posted a match-high 45 assists and 15 digs for her 18th double-double of the campaign, with sophomore Jayln Knight coming up with a team-high 17 digs. Sophomore Emily Conard chipped in eight digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Trojans never trailed after racing out to an 8-2 advantage, with senior Allison Gaminde and Mitter fueling the run with two kills apiece. Queens got no closer than four, as the Trojans built a double-digit, 16-6, cushion and went on to post the double-figure win.
Second Set
It was Queens' turn to build a large lead in the second frame, as 10 attack errors proved to be too much for the Trojans to overcome. The Royals snapped an early 4-4 deadlock with a decisive 14-4 run and claimed the eight-point victory.
Third Set
The Trojans again flipped the scoring advantage in the third frame by jumping out to a 9-4 lead behind a pair of kills from Burts and with Jackson posting a block assist and a kill to cap the early surge. AU built its largest lead, at 23-14, on a kill from Gaminde. The Royals eventually held off set point three times before the Trojans took the set on a service error by Queens.
Fourth Set
AU trailed early in the fourth and final frame, but Knight's first kill of the set gave the Trojans a 12-11 edge and triggered a 10-4 outburst. Queens closed within four, but AU never surrendered the lead.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The Trojans will be making their fourth consecutive appearance in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
NOTABLES
• Mitter needs 43 kills to move into 13th place in the school record books for kills in a single season.
• Conlin has recorded 10 straight double-doubles and has 18 on the season.
• Conlin has posted at least 30 assists in 25 matches this season and has reached the 40+ assist plateau on 15 occasions.
• Conlin has moved into sixth place in the school record books for assists in a single season with 1,204 and trails former Trojan standout Leslie Nodine (2001) by 76 assists for the fifth spot.
• Conard has recorded double-figure digs in 27 matches this season, including eight of the last nine and 22 of the Trojans' last 24 matches. She has moved into ninth place in the school record books for digs in a season, with 569. She trails Amanda Edwards (2007) by 17 for the eighth spot.
• Mitter has recorded 19 double-doubles this season, including six straight.
• Mitter has reached double-figure kills on 23 occasions, including each of the last eight outings.
• Rachel Burts has recorded double-figure kills in 13 matches this season, including 12 of the last 16.
• Burts has moved into eighth place in the school record books for total blocks in a single season with 118 and needs six more to surpass former standout Tiffany Rowe (2010) for the seventh spot.
• Burts has surpassed former Trojan great Ashley Prince for second place on the AU record books with 84 block assists on the season and needs 18 to surpass Hailey Pittman (2014) for the top spot.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will square off against fourth-seeded Queens Tuesday night in Charlotte, N.C. Queens and Newberry finished the season tied for the third spot, but Newberry claimed the third slot based on a tiebreaker. AU and Queens will face each other for the second time in four days.
